


Super Sick

by StarshipHufflebadger



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, sick, taking care of sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 03:18:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13114878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarshipHufflebadger/pseuds/StarshipHufflebadger
Summary: Kara somehow manages to acquire a common cold virus and it causes some problems when Lena comes over to take care of her.





	Super Sick

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silent_Specter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silent_Specter/gifts).



               Kara was in a state of abject disbelief.  She could lift the entire prison facility of Fort Roz.  She could see through buildings.  She could hear things miles away just by focusing.  She could melt steel with her heat vision.  She was skilled and powerful in ways that the human race in general would barely even be able to understand.  Considering all these things, it was with the utmost indignation and rage that Kara sat, arms crossed over her chest and glowering at the steaming mug in front of her.  She just couldn’t believe it.

 

               She’d caught _a cold_.

 

A COLD!  A stupid, common virus that humans constantly spread amongst themselves that she’d never had to worry about, thanks to her Kryptonian genetics.  This was ridiculous!  How could a coronavirus take out a Kryptonian?!

 

               Her irritated thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing and she glared at it for a moment before she saw that it was Winn’s number.  Alex had hypothesized that the last alien they’d captured and taken prisoner at the DEO had somehow made Kara sick -or at least made her more susceptible to being sick – thanks to the nasty slime it’d left on Kara’s skin once she’d wrestled it into submission.   Winn been trying to figure out exactly why she’d gotten sick, and her heart leapt with hope when she realized he might be calling her with a plan to cure this before it got even more out of hand. 

 

               “Winn?  Tell me you’ve got a cure for this,” Kara said in agitation, forgoing a greeting in her desperation for an answer.  There was slight pause, and when Winn spoke, she could tell he was using his forced gentle voice, the one he used when he was a little scared of telling her what he’d found.

 

               “Ah, well… I’m good, Kara, but even I can’t cure the common cold,” Winn said with a small laugh, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. As though he could feel her glare through the phone line, he cleared his throat and continued hastily.   “So, I’ve gone through your tests and I’m certain that Alex was right.  Something about that alien’s… slime… crashed your immune system to the point where you really did just catch a regular ol’ cold.” 

 

               Kara was silent as she digested this, and Winn didn’t speak for a moment either.  Finally she broke the silence, sniffling hard before she could talk again.

 

               “And what am I supposed to do?  I should be out there, watching over the city!” Kara’s voice raised as she spoke, which she immediately regretted;  she began to cough and covered her mouth to avoid blowing things across the apartment.  “I still have my powers, I can just deal with it,” Kara decided, wiping her mouth and standing up.

 

               “No, Kara,” Winn said urgently, and she could practically see him shaking his head emphatically.  “Your powers, as far as I can tell, are going to be sporadic and unpredictable right now.  You’ll still be able to use them, yeah, but you’re not going to be as strong as usual, your heat vision isn’t going to be hot enough to do much damage and your super hearing and x-ray vision will likely be on the fritz too.”  There was another pause while Kara fumed, trying to convince herself that he was wrong.  “If you don’t believe me, try to x-ray vision something,” Winn said gently, clearly knowing what she was thinking.

 

               Kara glared at the kitchen wall and then tried to concentrate, tried to force herself to look into the hallway on the other side of it.  She managed to see through the first layer of the drywall, but then her vision snapped back to normal and she realized Winn must be right.

 

               “Fine,” she huffed, threading her cold fingers through the mug in front of her and warming them on the hot ceramic.  “Fine.  What am I supposed to do with myself, though?!” Kara asked him desperately.

 

               “Kara, just relax,” Winn said consolingly.  “Take it easy.  Watch a movie, have a bubble bath, whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t involve exertion, okay?”

 

               “Okay,” Kara agreed, though there was a definite sulk in her voice.

 

               “I’ll call you later to see how you’re doing.  Feel better, okay?”

 

               “Yeah.  Bye Winn.”

 

               Kara sighed heavily and hung up the phone, dropping it to the counter and staring dejectedly at the wall across from her.  She sniffed rather miserably, grabbing for a tissue and dabbing at her nose.

 

               “Was that Winn?” Alex asked, coming around the corner from the bathroom and entering the kitchen, hopping up onto a stool across from Kara.

 

               “Yeah,” Kara confirmed gloomily, with a heavy sigh that set her to coughing again.  Alex winced as her hair blew back violently with Kara’s first cough, before she was able to get a hand over her mouth to stop it.  “Sorry.”   Alex reached out and patted Kara’s hand reassuringly, then nudged the tea in front of her.

 

               “Drink.  Lemon and honey, it’s really good for you,” Alex urged, and Kara looked dejectedly down at her cup.  “Here, let me reheat it for you, it’s better when it’s hot.”

 

               “I can heat it up,” Kara said automatically, looking down at her cup and focusing as Alex withdrew her hand quickly.

 

               “No, Kara, don’t—” Alex began hastily, but she was too late.  Kara’s eyes glowed before beams shot from them directly at her cup, but even Alex could tell just by the sight of them that they were far too strong.  Alex let out a yelp and tried to cover her face as the mug exploded, splashing them both with warm tea and pelting them with shards of ceramic.

 

               “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Kara gasped, looking up to see Alex peeking out from behind her arms, a few small cuts on her forearm and one on her forehead.  Her sister was also dripping with tea, and though Kara would normally have found it hilarious (minus the cuts), now she just wanted to cry.

 

               “It’s fine, Kara, really,” Alex said, still looking a little stunned but getting over it quickly.  She hopped off of her stool and grabbed a kitchen towel, wiping off her face and tossing the towel to Kara, who did the same, though she was mostly staring guiltily at Alex.   “Kara, seriously, I’m fine,” Alex laughed, shaking her head.

 

               “You’re bleeding,” Kara pointed out, and Alex glanced down at her arm, shrugged, and wiped the blood away with a tissue.       

 

               “I think I can handle a couple of little cuts,” Alex said, patting Kara’s arm.  “Why don’t you go sit down on the couch, I’ll clean this up and make you more tea.”

 

               “Okay,” said Kara dejectedly, slipping off of her stool and making her way over to the couch, now feeling incredibly guilty on top of miserable.  She felt a tickle in her nose and just barely managed to partially cover her face before she sneezed, blowing a few cushions off the couch in the process.

 

               “Cover that sneeze!” Alex called warningly from the kitchen, as she discarded the shards of Kara’s mug.  “You could blow out a window if you’re not careful.”

 

               Kara dropped onto the couch and pulled a pillow into her lap as Alex set about making more tea.  Half a squeezed lemon, a squirt of honey, some hot water, and a minute later Alex was bringing Kara a new mug of steaming tea.  Kara took it, still sulking, but with a thankful look in her eyes.

 

               “I have to go to work now, but call me if you need anything, okay?” Alex reached out and stroked Kara’s hair soothingly, and Kara allowed herself a small smile.  Alex kissed Kara’s forehead and then stood up again, preparing to leave.

 

               “Okay.”  Kara paused.  “Alex?”

 

               “Yeah?” Alex turned as she slipped her cellphone into her pocket.

 

               “I feel like crap.”  Kara sounded so put out that Alex laughed, reaching over and playfully mussing up Kara’s hair.

 

               “Welcome to literally every human’s world when they get sick,” Alex teased.  “You’ll feel better in a couple of days.  Just rest.  Binge something on Netflix.”  Kara sighed heavily but nodded, and Alex unfolded a nearby blanket and draped it over her sister’s lap, then unfolded a second and put it around Kara’s shoulders.

 

               “Thanks,” Kara said, wrapping both of her hands around the mug of tea and sipping it, surprised that it actually didn’t taste too bad.   “Have fun at the DEO.  Say hi to everyone for me.”

 

               “I will.  Remember, call me if you need anything!  Love you.”

 

               “Love you too.”

 

               Once Alex was gone, it occurred to Kara that she’d forgotten to let someone know she wouldn’t be going in to CatCo today.  Her first instinct was to text James, as he was technically her direct supervisor, but she was reluctant to start explaining how she, a Kryptonian, was sick.  Instead, she chose Lena’s name from the list of messenger contacts and typed a quick message:

 

               _Hi Lena.  I’m so sorry but I’m too sick to come in to work today.  Potentially tomorrow too.  I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.  If you need me to do anything I can do from home, just let me know.  See you (hopefully) soon._

               Kara tossed her phone onto the coffee table and turned her focus to the TV.  She flipped through the ridiculous amount of options on Netflix before finally settling on _Wynonna Earp_ and hitting the play button.  She snuggled down into her blankets and tried to ignore the congestion and aches inside her, steadily sipping her tea until it was gone.  She enjoyed the show, but by the middle of the second episode, she’d fallen asleep, her empty mug slipping from her hands and bouncing harmlessly to the floor.

 

               An undetermined amount of time later, Kara gasped as she was awoken suddenly by a banging on the door.  Startled and disoriented, she looked around wildly, momentarily forgetting what was going on.  Wondering how long she’d been asleep, she jumped as there was another knock on the door.  She looked towards it and squinted, momentarily forgetting that her x-ray vision wasn’t working.

 

               “Dammit,” she muttered, trying to find the remote for the TV.  She finally found it in one of the folds of the blankets and hit the pause button, noticing the display indicating she was on episode six now, which meant she’d been asleep for a couple of hours. 

 

               “Coming!” she called nasally, clumsily standing up and extracting herself from the blanket over her lap, keeping the other wrapped around her shoulders as she trudged across the apartment.  She assumed it was Alex, and as she opened the door, she was about to ask why she hadn’t just used her key when her voice died in her throat.  Lena was standing in the hallway, holding a large white paper bag and looking both pleased to see her and sympathetic.

 

               “L-Lena,” Kara stammered, beyond surprised to see her standing there.  “Wh-what are you-“

 

               “Didn’t you get my texts?” Lena asked, concerned.  “I wondered why you weren’t responding.”

 

               “Oh, I-I fell asleep,” Kara said, gesturing vaguely towards the couch. “Why are you here?”

 

               “To take care of you of course!” Lena said brightly, holding up the paper bag.  “I have soup, and juice, tea and of course, potstickers,” she grinned, and Kara couldn’t help but smile weakly back.

 

               “You really didn’t have to do that,” Kara said, feeling both elated and extremely embarrassed that Lena was there to care for her. 

 

               “Nonsense, I want to help you feel better, if I can,” Lena smiled, shifting the paper bag to her other hand and trying to subtly shake the tingles out of her fingers behind her back.

 

               “Oh gosh I’m so sorry, of course, come in!” Kara gasped, realizing that they were still just standing in the doorway.  Kara stepped aside, holding the door open and Lena entered, heading into the kitchen to put the bag down on the counter.  Kara had a minor, internal panic attack as she realized that if she wasn’t careful, her coughs and sneezes would absolutely give away her secret.  Feeling anxious, she approached the counter as well, watching Lena empty the bag of all its goodies.

 

               “Will you be staying long?” Kara asked bluntly in her worry, and she thought she saw a flicker of hurt cross Lena’s face before she answered.

 

               “I’ll stay as long as you’d like me to,” Lena replied, though she sounded a bit unsure, now.  “Unless you’d like me to leave now, I realize perhaps I’ve intruded or stepped over the line, or-”

 

               “No, no!” Kara said hastily, because she could hear the sad tinge to Lena’s words and the last thing she wanted was for Lena to feel bad for her kindness.  “Not at all.  I just- I don’t want you to catch whatever I have, it’s pretty nasty,” Kara invented, feeling relieved she’d come up with a decent excuse.   Lena seemed to recover at these words and smiled again, crumpling up the bag after she removed the last container from within.

 

               “Well, don’t worry about that, I have an excellent immune system,” Lena told her, tossing the bag into the trash can.  “These Luthor genes have to be good for _something_ , afterall.”  Lena laughed, and Kara managed to laugh with her.  She still felt a background level of anxiety, but she had to admit, just having Lena here was already making her feel a little better.

 

               “So, I’ve brought you soup,” Lena said, pushing a large container forwards.  Kara peeled the top off of it and though she couldn’t smell it very well, it looked inviting. 

 

               “Mmm, that looks really good,” Kara said, nodding. 

 

               “It’s the best soup in National City, in my opinion,” Lena said, smiling.  “Potstickers, since I know they’re your favourite.  They might not help the cold, but they’ll help your mood, I’m sure.”  Lena chuckled as Kara pulled the container towards her and immediately popped one into her mouth, despite the fact that she hadn’t actually felt hungry for many hours now, she’d been too wrapped up in feeling crappy.

 

               “You’re the best,” Kara said after she’d swallowed, her stomach now growling with the reintroduction of food.  Lena grinned at the compliment and paused as Kara quickly stifled a cough, then continued on.

 

               “This tea is supposed to be one of the best for colds,” Lena explained, holding out a box.  Kara sniffed it and wrinkled her nose, pulling the box away from her face immediately.  It smelled extremely medicinal, and if Kara could smell it that strongly through her stuffed nose, she knew it would probably taste awful.   Lena laughed at Kara’s reaction, taking the box back from her.  “If you put lots of honey in it, I’m sure it will taste fine,” Lena chuckled.  Kara doubted this, but she said nothing, not wanting to hurt Lena’s feelings again.

 

               “Now, I want you to relax while I heat up your soup and make you tea,” Lena said, in a tone that clearly indicated that she expected to be obeyed.  “Go sit down on the couch, I’ll be there in a minute.”   Kara hesitated, about to open her mouth to protest, when Lena raised an eyebrow.  “What is it?”

 

               “Ah, nothing,” Kara said hastily, deciding that listening to Lena was probably in her best interest, considering the sudden no-nonsense look on Lena’s face.  Kara slunk off to the couch and sat down, pulling her legs up to tuck beside her, and watching as Lena filled a bowl with the soup she had brought and put it in the microwave, then fill the kettle with water and begin making her some tea.  Lena came over to the couch and without a word, retrieved the blankets she had shrugged off earlier and gently draped them around Kara’s shoulders.

 

               “Is that good? Are you warm enough?” Lena asked, her hand resting on Kara’s shoulder.  Kara nodded, and Lena smiled, squeezed her shoulder and hurried back into the kitchen as the water started to boil.

 

 

Kara had to admit that despite the pure terror she felt at the chance of Lena finding out her secret;  she was giddy as hell to have Lena there, clearly intent on taking care of her.  Kara could feel herself blushing as she let the thought that Lena truly cared for her wash over her, unconsciously brushing her fingers over the spot where Lena had touched her.  She watched Lena in silence, trying not to smile _too_ much.  She realized after a moment that she was holding her breath to stop herself from giggling out loud and she immediately began to cough, blowing a pillow off the couch before she got her hand over her mouth.  Thankfully, Lena had her back turned at the moment, and Kara hastily grabbed the pillow and shoved it back by her feet, trying not to look guilty as Lena turned back. 

 

               “Alright, here we go,” Lena said, slowly walking towards the living room, carefully carrying a bowl of steaming hot soup.  Kara sat up straighter as Lena set the bowl down on the coffee table in front of her, and immediately returned to the kitchen.  Kara slid off of the couch and onto the floor to be nearer to her bowl, and felt her stomach growl as the wonderful scent of the soup managed to break through her congestion.  She had already taken a few slurps of the soup by the time Lena returned with a mug of tea and the rest of the potstickers, and Lena chuckled as she set them down in front of Kara as well.

 

               “I told you it was the best soup in National City,” Lena said with amusement as she watched Kara eat it very quickly, clearly enjoying it.  Kara nodded emphatically, her mouth full of soup, and Lena laughed.   Lena sat herself down on the couch behind Kara and peered at the TV.  “What were you watching?”

 

               “Wynonna Earp,” Kara said in between mouthfuls, glancing over at Lena.  “Its pretty good but I fell asleep so I missed most of it so far… want to watch with me?  I don’t mind starting over.”

 

               “Sure,” Lena said, grabbing the remote and navigating back to the first episode. “I haven’t watched a show in so long, it’ll be nice to watch something for once.”  They watched in relative silence as Kara polished off the last of her soup and the potstickers, ignoring the tea.  When she was finished eating, Kara pushed herself up off the floor and back on the couch, settling herself beside Lena and feeling hyper-aware of Lena’s leg barely inches away from her.

 

               “Drink the tea, Kara,” Lena said, and there was a sternness in her tone that made Kara both want to obey her and laugh.  “I promise, it will help clear your sinuses.”  Kara sighed and reached forward, bringing the mug towards her and reluctantly took a small sip.  She choked only a little, then made a ‘not bad’ type of expression.  “See?” Lena said, laughing again.  “I put a lot of honey in it, it won’t be so bad.”

 

               Kara slowly sipped the tea, wrinkling her nose slightly at the taste, but she had to admit it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had smelled in the packaging.  She was tense at first as they sat there, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickling every time Lena shifted.  Eventually, though, Kara began to relax and leaned back against the cushions, shifting her position until she was comfortable, even though that brought her calf into contact with Lena’s.  Kara froze for a moment, but Lena didn’t shift or attempt to move away so Kara relaxed again, part of her brain constantly on the warmth of Lena’s leg against hers as she watched.

 

               After a while, Kara’s head began to slowly drift downwards as she began to doze off, quickly jerking up as she suddenly woke each time.  Lena did not comment at first, but after the third time this happened in only a few minutes, she reached for the remote and paused the show.

 

               “Huh?” asked Kara, snapping back into consciousness and realizing the show was paused. “What’s wrong?”

 

               “I think maybe you should have a nap, Kara,” Lena said, smiling and patting Kara’s leg, making her heart leap into her throat.  “You can barely keep your eyes open.”

 

               “Oh, I’m fine,” Kara lied, despite the fact that she felt like her eyes were being pulled closed by some outside force beyond her control.  Kara stifled a yawn and Lena rolled her eyes and stood up, adjusting the cushions so Kara would have a pillow.

 

               “Well, why don’t you lie down anyway and just see what happens?” Lena asked shrewdly. Kara let out a small giggle and gave in, shifting around and lying down with her head on the pillows Lena had arranged.  Lena smiled and covered her back up with  the blankets, making sure it covered her from toes to shoulders.  Kara yawned and snuggled down, hugging the blanket to her, then looked sleepily up at Lena.

 

               “You’re not leaving, are you?” Kara asked, her voice quieted by her drowsiness.  Lena, who had turned and was collecting Kara’s empty dishes, all but melted at the sadness in Kara’s tone at the question.

 

               “Not if you don’t want me to,” Lena said softly, smiling down at her.  Kara smiled back, her eyes fluttering closed as she relaxed.

 

               “I want you to stay, if you can,” Kara said, sighing softly as sleep beckoned.  Lena smiled again and brought the dishes into the kitchen, setting them into the sink as quietly as she could to avoid disturbing Kara.  Lena went back into the living room and stood over Kara for a moment, watching her.  She was already asleep, and some hair had flopped down across her face as she’d relaxed.  Lena reached out without thinking and gently tucked the lock of hair behind her ear, watching as Kara’s lips curled in the smallest of smiles, even as she continued to breathe slowly and evenly. 

 

               Lena noticed that Kara was still wearing her glasses and that they were pressing against her nose at an odd angle, so Lena gripped either side of the frames and very gently pulled until they slipped off of Kara’s face.  Kara didn’t wake, and Lena carefully folded in the arms of the glasses and set them on the coffee table, within Kara’s reach if she woke up and realized she couldn’t see.  Lena was about to move away when she looked down at Kara and paused, a slightly puzzled look coming over her face.  Without her glasses, Kara reminded her strongly of someone, but she couldn’t think who right away.  Lena tilted her head to the side to look at Kara’s face more directly, and her mouth fell open slightly as she realized – Kara looked a lot like Supergirl without her glasses on!  Lena peered at her, imagining how Kara would look with her long hair down, flowing around her shoulders, and decided she’d be a spitting image of Supergirl like that.  Lena amused herself with the idea for a while, watching Kara sleep, smiling at the small noises she made as she shifted now and then, barely resisting the urge to reach out and stroke her.

 

               Internally shaking herself, Lena stood and moved to sit in the chair opposite the couch, crossing her legs and leaning back, still watching Kara sleep for several moments.  She looked so peaceful, and Lena felt such affection for Kara within her that - even though it sounded incredibly cheesy - it felt like her heart was swelling.  Trying to distract herself for the time being, despite the suspicions that Lena had about how Kara felt about her, Lena busied herself with her phone, answering emails and sending messages while Kara slept on.

 

               After an hour or so, Lena looked up as Kara stirred, her brows furrowed tightly even in her sleep.  As Lena watched, Kara began to move around a bit, letting out a groan and a whimper.  Kara was muttering things that Lena couldn’t understand – whether incomprehensible or simply another language, Lena couldn’t tell – and was starting to seem distressed.  Lena closed the case to her phone and set it down, standing up slowly as she watched Kara start to toss and turn a little more, muttering more loudly, clearly having some kind of bad dream.  Lena stood, trying to decide if she should wake Kara or not, wondering what she was dreaming about.  Kara’s muttering became louder and more distinct though still difficult to understand, until a distressed sentence came through, loud and clear.

 

               “Mother, no! I don’t want to leave Krypton! Let me stay with you!” 

 

               Lena had been about to step forward towards the couch but she froze at these words, staring down at her friend.  Krypton?  The _planet_ Krypton?  The one that both Supergirl and Superman were from?  Lena’s eyes were wide as thoughts swirled in her brain, as she watched Kara’s face scrunch in an unhappy expression, as Kara continued to mutter in her sleep.  She didn’t speak as clearly again, though Lena was sure she caught the word “Krypton”, “Earth” and “mother” at least once more each.

 

               Lena was still frozen on the spot a full minute or two later when Kara’s mumbled speech turned into whimpers and startled Lena out of her rush of thoughts.  Whoever she was, Lena didn’t want Kara to be upset and so she took the few steps towards the couch and leaned over Kara, gently shaking her shoulder.

 

               “Kara?  Kara, wake up, you’re having a bad dream,” Lena called to her, shaking her a little more firmly.  Lena’s hair fell down into her face, the ends of it brushing against Kara’s face, though Lena didn’t notice.  “Kara?”  Lena squeezed her shoulder, trying to get a response out of her.  It seemed like Kara was starting to come around; she’d stopped squirming and her breathing had changed.  Lena glanced at her face to see her eyes flicker open and realized her own hair was in Kara’s face.  She was about to stand and move out of Kara’s way when Kara’s nose scrunched up and she inhaled sharply.  Before Lena could do anything, Kara sneezed hard, with her face at the level of Lena’s waist.

 

               The last thing Lena had expected from a sneeze was to be thrown across the apartment, but nonetheless, that was what happened.  Lena let out a shriek of surprise as the sheer force of Kara’s sneeze blasted her off her feet and across the room, flailing wildly as she flew.  She smashed into the wall beside Kara’s bed with a yelp and slid down it, crashing to the floor with an undignified grunt.

 

               “Lena!” Kara cried, having woken up properly when she’d sneezed and watching with dread as her friend flew across the room.  Without thinking, potentially because of her sleepiness and potentially because of her sickness making her brain fuzzy, Kara supersped across the room, intending to catch Lena before she hit the wall, but she was too slow.  Lena crashed and fell to the floor a second before Kara got there, and Kara skidded to a stop in front of Lena, nearly crashing into her as she overshot.

 

               Lena sat where she’d fallen, with her hair a mess and a completely shocked look on her face.  She slowly looked up at Kara, who was standing there with her eyes wide, clearly terrified and already trying to figure out how she was going to explain this.

 

               “Are you okay?!” Kara asked first, however, because she was worried that she’d hurt Lena.

 

               “You’re… you’re Supergirl,” Lena said in shock, staring up at Kara with an amazed expression. “You really _are_ Supergirl, I thought… I thought you just _looked_ like her, and-”  Kara hurried to interrupt her, to try and dissuade her, but she was well aware that she probably wasn’t going to be able to deny this one.

 

               “No, what?!” Kara exclaimed, trying to sound shocked and amused that Lena would suggest such an outrageous thing.  “That’s just silly, I just… I..” Kara began to flounder as she frantically tried to invent a plausible reason why her sneeze would have caused Lena to be thrown across the apartment but coming up with nothing.

 

               “Please, Kara,” Lena said, clearly hearing the slightly hysterical note in Kara’s voice and shaking her head. “You’re not going to be able to explain this away.  Your sneeze is the only thing that sent me flying over here.”   Kara started to interrupt, but Lena shook her head again and spoke louder, over Kara’s ramblings about _No, of course its not true!_.  “Plus, I heard you talking about Krypton in your sleep a little while ago.”

 

               Kara fell silent and looked hopelessly down at Lena, her eyes pleading and desperate.  Kara honestly could think of nothing else she could possibly say to defend her position and her shoulders sagged as she accepted defeat.   Lena seemed to take this silence as a victory and a radiant smile of amazement came over her face as she looked up at Kara, as though seeing her for the very first time.

 

               “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Kara asked, her voice strained as she reached out a hand to help Lena up.  Lena grasped her hand and winced as she got to her feet, but the pain didn’t bother her much, not with the revelation of Kara being Supergirl blaring in her mind.

 

               “I’m fine,” Lena said, a bit breathlessly as she found her footing at looked over at Kara again, meeting her gaze and staring into her eyes.  “Just a bruise or two, nothing to worry about.”

 

               “I’m sorry,” Kara groaned, and there was a glum, defeated tone to her voice as she sat down on the bed with a sigh.  “This is why I was worried about you staying, I didn’t want to hurt you, or—”  Kara cut herself off and buried her face in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees.

 

               “Or reveal your secret to me,” Lena finished, sitting down on the bed beside her.  Kara sighed but didn’t reply.  It was completely true, of course, but Kara was worried that now that Lena knew, she’d be angry that Kara hadn’t told her sooner.  “It’s alright, Kara,” Lena said gently, reaching out and touching Kara’s shoulder. 

 

               “It is?” Kara asked, raising her head and turning it slightly to look at Lena.  “You’re not mad?”  Lena sighed softly and removed her hand, looking down at her own knees for a moment before looking back at Kara and speaking.

 

               “I understand.  Considering the history between Lex and your cousin, I would probably be hesitant to tell a Luthor a secret like yours as well.”  Lena’s voice was a bit stiff and tinged with sadness, though she looked at Kara evenly despite her feelings.  Kara shook her head emphatically, reaching out and touching Lena’s knee.

 

               “No, it’s not because you’re a Luthor!” Kara gasped, her eyes wide.  “I just… Lena, I’ve spent most of my life here trying not to tell _anyone_ my secret, my adoptive parents drilled it into my head from an early age that I couldn’t tell anyone at all, and the habit stuck.  I mean, even now that I’m out as Supergirl… aside from the DEO, hardly anyone knows who I am,” Kara spoke fast but earnestly, desperate to reassure Lena that it wasn’t anything personal.  “Honestly, James and Winn were the only ones outside that knew, though now Winn’s part of the DEO too so I guess it’s just James that knows,” Kara continued on, nearly breathless. 

 

               “Kara, it’s fine, really,” Lena said, and Kara was relieved to hear some amusement in her tone. 

 

               “I wanted to tell you,” Kara told her, gripping Lena’s knee.  “I really did… it just never seemed like the right time.”  Lena nodded slowly and looked at Kara thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing slightly as she pondered.

              

               “Honestly I don’t know how I didn’t see it before,” Lena said, shaking her head with a wry smile.  “The sudden disappearances, the timely interventions of Supergirl with the “Kara Danvers sent me” excuses…” Lena smiled, an eyebrow quirked.  “I should have known.”

 

               “I’m good at hiding my secret,” Kara said, with a humourless laugh.  “It’s a well practiced skill.”  Kara suddenly coughed, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as Lena flinched, perhaps expecting to be thrown into the wall again.

 

               “Except when you’re sick, apparently,” Lena said, chuckling.  She patted Kara’s leg, then frowned as a thought occurred to her.  “Wait, why _are_ you sick?  I didn’t realize Kryptonians could even fall ill at all.”

 

               “Alex thinks it was that last alien I had to battle with,” Kara groaned, pulling a kleenex out of her hoodie pocket and dabbing her nose with it.  “It had some kind of weird slime on it that infected me with something that crashed my immune system, and…” Kara gestured at her face, with its red nose and pale skin, sniffing pointedly.  Lena made a sympathetic expression and continued to look at Kara, still with disbelief written on her face.  Kara coughed again, feeling her symptoms starting to amp up once more, and she sighed miserably.  

 

               “Look,” Lena said gently, reaching out and taking Kara’s tissue-free hand and squeezing it.  “You’re Supergirl, and that’s amazing, and I want to hear _everything_ one day soon, but for now, you are still sick, Supergirl or not.”  Kara looked like she might protest, but Lena was already back on her feet, ignoring the ache in her back as she reached for Kara’s hand.

 

               “Come on.  I’ll make you some more tea and we can watch another episode of that show.”

 

               Kara hesitated for a second, then smiled and reached for Lena’s hand, letting Lena guide her back into the living room to the couch.  A few minutes later they were sitting beside each other again and Kara was nursing a cup of the herbal tea while they watched.  After finishing her tea and depositing the cup on the table, Kara leaned back against the cushions, but she was having a hard time getting comfortable.

 

               “Lean against me,” Lena suggested, swivelling a bit and putting an arm out, so Kara could lean back against her side.  Kara stared wordlessly for a moment, then felt herself blushing as she smiled and positioned herself, leaning back against Lena.  Lena let the arm around Kara’s back relax, and Kara sat stock still for a while, her heart pounding.  Eventually she relaxed, but she could barely pay attention to the show when she could feel Lena’s warm side against her body, her arm behind her head.  Her heart was still pounding and she was still feeling a little sick to her stomach about the fact that Lena now knew her secret, but it was hard to feel _too_ worried with Lena’s arm around her shoulder and her comforting warmth pressed into Kara’s back.


End file.
